T R U S T M E
by Goddess-Hope
Summary: [AU]Both of our worlds weren’t ready to accept us…not yet. I held her that night, and for once just once, I felt human. And her innocence and grace had returned. [DMHG][ONESHOT]


**Title:** T R U S T M E

**Chapter:** One-shot

**Rating:** PG-13

**Date:** Friday, July 8th, 2005

**Authoress:** Goddess-Hope

**Disclaimer:** My mom doesn't call me Joanne or JK, so I guess I don't own Harry Potter!© ™ Harry Potter© ™ also belongs to Warner Brother Inc.™ O.O

* * *

**T R U S T M E**

The room was quite chilly as the attending onlookers shifted nervously in the room.

He looked around the room of glaring faces as her concentrated on showing the infamous Malfoy smirk and cold mask. Dumbledore was there, acting as the presiding judge and Minister of Magic. He looked on coldly at the old man who was frowning sadly at him.

He snorted; he would accept no sympathy from any old coot.

Madame Bones, he saw, was sending him reproving glares and whispering diligently to all the other presiding witches and wizards in court next to her. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw many of them nod their heads slightly at what Madame Bones was saying…

Finally, Dumbledore announce for him to stand and sit into the chair facing the court. As he got up and sat down in the metal chair, he faced the crowd on looking and froze.

There- in the very front row- was a pale girl who was sending him saddened looks. Her eyes were ghastly hollow as her skin was a pasty white. The rough, dark curls piled atop her head, covered her face and eyes.

" Tell us, Mister Malfoy, what happened on the ninth of June in the year of nineteen ninety eight…"

He inhaled sharply, as he kept his eyes on the girl in the front row…

Nothing would matter, as long as she knew the truth…

" I was out that day; shopping for a present for someone special…"

* * *

Somehow our lives were ruined.

I was on trial for attempted murder and assault.

Potter and Weasley pressed the charges firmly against me and even asked for the death count.

Lucky bastards, they received it.

As I recall, I believe that all this nonsense with _her_ started with her seducing me. Or was it I seducing her? I dunno…It's all a rather blur since we spent so much time on hating each other than loving each other as we should have. I remember that we were both looking for something more in this lifetime, this generation of ours…

It all started four -or was it five?- years ago, when I was at the ripe old age of seventeen.

In those days, I was known as Draco Lucius Malfoy, the son and sole heir to the Malfoy lineage. I was wealthy, a Pureblood, and also very good-looking. I had the perfect features that every and any girl dropped dead over- pale skin complimented by smoking blue-gray eyes and a halo of shaggy blonde hair. I was six feet tall and was well built due to the fact that I was seeker for the Slytherin Qudditch team. Yep, my life was perfect; every girl adored me and every guy envied me. All those below me, lowered themselves merely because I had graced this Earth.

But there was one, small tiny hitch in my life: I was also rumored to be a future servant to the Dark Lord, Voldemort. Death-eater my arse…I would never become my father! But, alas, in those days, people assumed quite the opposite of me. They expected me to hate and despise muggleborns and muggles. Well, they were right one that; only, there was one mud blood I did not despise or hate.

Her name was Hermione Jane Granger.

A beautiful girl she was; dark, chocolate tresses complete with the creamiest skin of ivory and smoldering, cinnamon eyes. She had long, curvaceous legs that stretched into a small, flat abdomen. Her skin was smooth as was her voice. And with all that, she was bloody intelligent! All 'Outstandings' on all of her OWLS and NEWTS. She could have become an Animagi in only our second year. That's how brilliant her inhuman mind worked.

She had the perfect body as well as the perfect mind.

And yet, I still failed to see her for who she really was.

My life.

Don't get me wrong; I hated mud bloods and muggles back then, including her! My life was completely made up of Pureblood Secrets. But, something happened that changed my views…

In my seventh year, I was more feared than ever before. Voldemort's reign was just beginning and all those who opposed him, died. One by one, all the mud bloods at the school disappeared along with their muggle families. And then- she was the only one left. Her parents were both dead the year before, my father made sure of it, and she had stayed with the 'Order' or the group of people devoted to making the Lighter side win this war.

No one with good enough sense stayed near her, save for her bloody Gryffindors.

I tried to proudly show my immunity to all by daring to kill her, yet failing unsuccessfully. We both wound up seriously injured in the Hospital Wing. That girl left me quite a few scars that I wouldn't dare show in public. Needless to say, both of our houses drowned miserably with no house points and I'm pretty sure that Snape and McGonagall were both probably livid with rage. I was left in a coma for two weeks. I had learnt afterwards that we both were on the very verge of dying, if she hadn't used her powerful mage magic. A mud blood? Having mage magic? Impossible, yet it was true. She had saved us from a terrible place, so I hear.

I'd like to call that place an abyss; an abyss of darkness that had tried to pull me into its grasp with invisible hands of nothingness. It possessed a malicious glare without having any mouth or eye; which scared me senseless. I quite often remember back to when I was in that coma, and the more I think about it, the more I realize that I kept seeing her there with me. Its as if she was a barrier protecting me from succumbing to the pit of evil.

Strange, eh?

Yeah, well, that wasn't the least of my worries then. I learned to ignore most of my unnatural dream as the winter holidays closed in. My pride caught the best of me, and I had forgotten that she had saved me. The only thing I had thought as the time, was that she was only a mud blood.

Everything had returned almost normal except for the fact that she would stare at me from time to time. Everywhere! During classes, at meals, in between corridors, during Prefect and Head meetings, our Common Room, everywhere! I would feel her cinnamon rings staring at me from behind in potions, her gaze questioning me suspiciously. I would just smirk at her and wink like a terrible playboy. Little did I know that my actions would have made the little Gryffindor even more so curious….

* * *

" …You say that you were shopping for Valentine presents, on the day that Miss Granger was attacked?"

" Yes." he replied curtly.

" And that you have no thought or idea how Miss Granger was found in possession with the Malfoy heirloom? A silver locket- with a single emerald and twisting serpents, charmed to perfection?"

" No."

The older wizard frowned, slumping slightly and glancing at the preceding Minister. He checked his notes once more before standing up and gazing sternly at the young Malfoy Master.

" Then, Mister Malfoy, why was the Malfoy Heirloom found with her? "

" It is simple," Draco began, " I gave it to her" . He watched as the crowd gasped and murmured amongst themselves excitedly. He licked his lips, thinking of the scandals sure to be caused from his statement. Why would a Malfoy give the famous heirloom to Hermione Granger? He was a pureblood, whilst she was a muggleborn.

The older wizard flushed, his spectacles dropping from the bridge of his nose.

How could he have been so daft? Not entertaining the idea or thought of a relationship between the two. He sharply glared at his witnesses beside him, both gaping and firmly shaking their heads.

" May I ask why you had given your family's heirloom to Miss Granger? "

Draco observed the plump wizard for a moment, his eyes fixated on the beady eyes of the wizard. Dark, emotionless. Very pitiful, he was. At that moment, Draco decided to answer this wizard's question. He wasn't out to save himself anymore, just to tell the truth.

" Because we were engaged. "

* * *

And then, it stopped…

I would no longer see her curled locks, nor her questioning gaze. She seemed to disappear from classes, arriving late and looking quite tired.

Until it all stopped…

She didn't come to classes, she didn't appear at meals; I was going bloody insane due to the absence of that woman! She was never in our Common Room or at meetings…She wasn't even attending classes! It was if she were fading away….

And as ignorant as I may be, I still make the smallest of observations.

Hermione Granger was…gone.

Gone!

If you had told me when I was a third-year, that Granger would die in my seventh year, I would have whooped and hollered and screamed my lungs out until all the world knew of my glee.

The last mud blood at Hogwarts was gone!

Or so I thought….

* * *

" That will be enough, Mister Malfoy."

Dumbledore waved his hand and dismissed the interrogating wizard. The court was left full of whispers and gossiping quills that were eager to hear more of this biased case that would decide the fate of Draco Malfoy. Even more so, they were eager to hear what he had to say about this mysterious " Hermione Granger". And her engagement to the richest pureblood of wizarding kind.

Oh, yes, she was heard of. But she wasn't particularly seen. Her eyes were always bright and cheery, a façade put on display for all those who couldn't handle her, handle the truth. But no one knew the real her, save for her two best friends. And her lover.

* * *

Yes, it was the second to last month of term; all the Slytherins were quite content with strutting about school with looks of higher authority. Since Granger disappeared, the entire school seemed to have lost their spirits. Even the professors didn't bother with anything anymore.

Yes, that's how it was…A perfect life for all Slytherins, no mud bloods.

It was only until I found myself constantly looking for something. I would glance unconsciously at the Gryffindors every chance I got. I even stared at her door whilst in the Head common room.

I found myself craving the sight of her- the vanilla aroma she possessed.

And through all of this time-

I deceived myself to hate her,

to loathe her….

…..but to lust for her too.

* * *

" And how did you come by the fact that Mister Malfoy was the one who attacked Miss Granger?"

Harry Potter's face darkened; his mouth set in a thin, grim line.

" As Ron was helping her up, I noticed something next to her. It was a silver locket, quite the perfection, bearing the Malfoy crest. However, I noticed that it was dripping in blood. I then turned to face Hermione, whose forearm was bleeding. A symbol of the Dark Mark was etched into her skin, the blood still oozing from the wounds."

" And when you realized that Mister Malfoy was somehow involved, what did you do next?"

Harry's lower lip twitched, but he calmly faced the attorney and sighed softly.

" I-I told Ron and we both decided to report this to the proper auror in charge at the Ministry."

* * *

And then I finally found her. She came back to Hogwarts, alive and kicking. With a defiant stance and harsher words…She was changed.

No longer was she Granger….

She was simply Hermione.

Her eyes held unfathomable loathing for everyone and anyone who looked her way. Cold and shady, the dark brown almost surrendering to the onyx color. She did help anyone in need of help though, just- in a sort of odd way.

She was acting like a _Slytherin._

Surprisingly enough, _no one_ noticed this.

* * *

"…me and Harry spent countless nights at St. Mungo's, waiting for 'Mione to wake up. We talked to the doctors, seeing as how her family had been killed the summer before, we became her new family."

Ron looked at the prosecuting attorney and bowed his head, raising a hand to cover his soft, blue eyes.

* * *

Potter and Weasley continued to lag around behind the queen bee, not realizing the change in their friend's personality. Naive as they were, I found it hard to believe that they were deceived by her.

Imagine, the-boy-who-lived, deceived by a mere _muggleborn _bookworm! A Weasley was understandable, but Potter's bloodline was expected to be the best. Even if he was a halfblood. Wasn't he supposed to be the savior of the wizarding and muggle worlds? Didn't that at least make him a tad intelligent?

The two dimwitted so-called 'wizards' didn't notice a pair of eyes following them.

Hermione and I, however, did.

The Weaslette.

I believe her name was Ginny? Ginerva? Yes, Ginerva Weasley, her common name- Ginny. The younger sibling of the Weasel, always prying to get Potter's attention. She had gone through most of the boys in Gryffindor by the time Hermione returned, even capturing that fool- Longbottom.

She watched wherever Potter and her brother went, giving the third member of the trio an extra glare behind her back. She followed them everywhere and began to sit with them at lunch.

Pansy often asked me why I continued to look over at the table as I did, always watching the Weasel girl and the mud blood Granger. Truthfully, I could never answer her. My eyes always shut her up, my best glare. My two supporters, Crabbe and Goyle, never noticed.

Zabini, however, was watching them as well as me. I later learned that the Zabini heir had taken a particular liking to the Weasley girl, catching up with her in deserted hallways and using empty classrooms when time and subtlety agreed with them.

Disgusting.

I cannot complain because they would say the same thing about me and Hermione…

* * *

" Mister Windrey, you have one witness to call forth, I presume?" Dumbledore asked sternly. His soft blue eyes no longer contained the forgiving nature and gentle touch that once had ensued his entire personality. This was a serious trial, and by Merlin, he would be solemn and would help these poor children through this horrible ordeal.

The quite plump, tall man nodded with a very vile grin. He stepped up to appear in front of the court. Clearing his stuffy throat, he turned to Dumbledore and called out a name that surprised many spectators.

" Miss Hermione Jane Granger ."

* * *

And that was when she noticed me.

Really noticed me.

Granger…erm, Hermione would be looking at me precisely like she used to, only this time, she simply raised a brow. It was if she could see right through me, knowing what I was thinking.

It scared me…a little.

Pfft, nothing was supposed to scare me. Not a Malfoy!

But she did- she and her observant, devious glances.

* * *

She was settled into the chair rigidly, the hard wood edging into her back.

She was queasy and uncomfortable, she shouldn't be doing this. It was wrong and she didn't want him to look that way, act that way. She didn't want to go on knowing that he would die because of her.

But Harry and Ron insisted, giving her undeniable proof that she had been hurt. That she had been attacked by the man she loved.

Hermione avoided his gaze from across her, choosing to observe the solemn faces of Harry and Ron.

" Miss Granger, is it true that you and Mister Malfoy were in fact engaged? "

Hermione remained silent, tears slipping passed her large brown eyes. She glanced suddenly at Draco and found her gaze locked with his own, neither backing down from a personal battle. His clear, blue eyes held truth, held certainty.

She hesitated.

Could he be innocent?

" Yes, " she answered softly, her eyes still on Draco.

" And it is true that Mister Malfoy gave you his family's heirloom, correct? "

" Yes. "

" Is it also true, then, that he had attacked you? "

* * *

We kept meeting up by chance, finding each other.

It all started one night, a chilling evening in the late days of April.

I had found silence and thought in the Astronomy Tower, remembering all the times of emotion I had felt there. All the girls I had shagged. All the hearts I had broken. All the lives I had twisted into ruin.

She had come up, her gaze at me startling- it was hungry and fierce. She had come up to me with no question, no thought- just emotion, feeling. I was about to leave, glaring at her and before I could utter the name that had stricken her down so many times before, she had rushed to me.

I felt myself crashing against soft, moist lips that tasted like peppermint.

I broke away, wiping the spit off my lips- disgusted for who she was, for what she did. For what I was, for what I did.

" Filthy mud blood, " I spat.

She glared at me sharply and before she could respond, I found myself kissing her once more. My arms had trapped her, snaked around her petite waist. I had pushed her to the hard stone wall, hearing her moan and felt her lips move with mine.

That night became one where I had broken my heart as well as hers, where I had twisted our lives to ruin because of it, and where we began our dangerous liaisons.

* * *

" All I remember, Mister Windry, is waking up in a hospital bed in Saint Mungo's. "

Her crisp, vague reply startled him.

He was sure that she would answer positive, backing up the confirmed story Weasel and Potter had played for the crowd and jury. Could it be that he wasn't condemned after all? Did she finally get the truth?

" Miss Granger, are you aware that charges have been brought against your fiancée for attempted murder towards you? "

" Yes. "

Her soft reply echoed in his heart, the sadness in her tone sending waves of doubt throughout his body. He was a fool, he couldn't think that she would figure it out- something devised cleverly.

" Than Miss Granger, before you woke up in Saint Mango's ward, what do you remember? "

He looked at her, pleading with his eyes.

He didn't attack her, he didn't cruelly mark her.

He loved her.

Please, his eyes read, you know the truth…Please….

She took a heavy breath, her eyes still fixated on that of his.

" I remember meeting up with him at The Leaky Cauldron… "

* * *

We continued to meet every night thereafter, both disgusted.

We would start out the same way, me calling her a mud blood and her kissing me.

It was physical.

She wasn't anymore innocent than I was after every night, her appearance rough and course. She didn't hold a certain persona anymore, her naïve-like look gone. She didn't hold chastity or purity in her, just ruins and a tainted soul.

This game of ours continued every night of the following months until graduation.

The final night before, we didn'tbelittle ourselves with our physical actions.

We just stared at each other and memorized every aspect of the other's being.

We looked upon the other as an equal, as someone intimate and close.

We loved each other.

That's when I had realized I had loved the silly little bint. From when she had first disappeared to when she had saved me. Everything had changed. She didn't tell me why she had left earlier in the year, or why she was colder than before. If anyone had found out about this affair, we would both be destroyed.

Both of our worlds weren't ready to accept us…not yet.

I held her that night, and for once- just once, I felt human.

And her innocence and grace had returned.

* * *

"…we were sharing a butterbeer. And than he had left, telling me he had to buy something quick… "

" What happened then? "

Hermione forced herself to look away from Draco that once, her breathing unfocused. She closed her eyes briefly, the brown orbs flickering here and there to catch the hungry eyes of other people who wanted to know the truth.

But it was impossible.

"…I had thanked the owner- Tom- and had left the pub, enjoying the fairly mild weather. I spent the last hour shopping around, looking for Draco. Tired, I rested at a bench not far from the main area of the Alley. Something was stirring behind me and when I turned, I blacked out… "

Several reporters nodded, biting their lips as they recorded her testimony.

The prosecuting lawyer beamed at Hermione, a smug smirk settled on his fat lips. He turned to Dumbledore and nodded, mumbling his response to no further questions. He sat down in his chair across the room, leaning back and whispering to Harry and Ron.

Hermione blinked back tears and focused her eyes on Draco once more, his fallen look killing her. He still looked innocent, still looked like he still loved her. No…But why would her best friends lie to her than?

* * *

We graduated the next morning.

It was still hard to believe.

She was surrounded by what remained of her muggle family and her friends, the Gryffindors extra cheery. They didn't seem to notice that I was watching them, looming in the shadows of the room. It was…rather nice to see her happy. Sickening to the bone, but nice.

I knew I couldn't give her that happiness, but it was worth a try.

Blaise tugged on my robes, shaking his head.

He was right.

I best leave her be and wait for her.

---

She came to see me that afternoon, her periwinkle robes flowing around her. She wasn't smiling, but even so she was still beautiful.

Peacefully, we sat together against the oak tree in front of the lake. We watched the serene aura that surrounded and encased the lake, its beautiful waters shimmering silver and blue.

My hand slipped into hers and we just enjoyed the other's presence, both not thinking of the future, of what the consequences would be. We just remained peaceful and calm, something that we would not have in our lives anymore.

I surprised her with my gift to her, my family's heirloom.

That evening, I proposed.

* * *

" All members rise "

Draco stiffly stood, his eyes directly meeting that of his old headmaster's.

Albus nodded to the residing jury, the witches and wizards of the board nodding back. They all looked firmly at Dumbledore and their votes were confirmed. They now waited to be asked the question.

" All those in favor of Draco Malfoy guilty, an aye will do. "

Draco's head shot up and he held his breath, silently pleading and wishing for less than half the room to not plead that charge. But half of the witches and wizards did, frowning slightly.

Albus raised his hand.

" All those in favor of Draco Malfoy innocent, an aye will do. "

The rest of the jury responded.

There was hope. A sigh of relief escaped Draco's lips. But it wasn't over. The jury was tied and there was a final resort to determine if he was guilty. If she decided he attempted to hurt her, then he would be dead…He would die for her.

Whipping his head around, Draco faced Hermione and pleaded with his stormy eyes.

Dumbledore paused, dismissing the jury. Standing up himself, he was tall and stiff. He looked over at his former student and kindly spoke to her, though his soft blue eyes were stern.

" Miss Granger, it is your choice. Did Mister Malfoy assault you? "

Hermione looked sadly at her former professor, torn in her decision.

Harry and Ron said that he did, they brought evidence against him. But she had come to love Draco, to care for him. She had observed him, gotten to know him. He wouldn't do this to her…

" Trust me, " he whispered to her, " Believe me Hermione, I didn't do it.. "

Hermione's tears slipped past her eyes as memories of them together flashed through her mind.

Kisses….

Gentle caresses….

Moans and whispers…

" No, he didn't. "

* * *

Well, there you have it. I'll probably re-write this in the future. OR do a better version of it, -shrugs-. Really, this was drabble at first before it took on a mind of its own.

Please review to let me know what ya think!


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